fat and make their Ears heavy as if the Lord should have said Go and preach to this People but preach them into hardness and blindness because they refused to hear or see let therefore the Light make them blind and the Gospel which is the joyful sound of Peace and Joy make them deaf and stop their Ears perswade no longer but make their Hearts fat their Ears heavy and shut their Eyes that they may walk in their own counsel and fill up the measure of their Iniquity Wo to those that God answers thus to leave them to their own Hearts lust and say as once to Ephraim Hosea 4. Let him alone If God deal thus with any they indeed shall never melt at any Sermon so as to awaken them out of their Sins they will prove but deaf Adders that stop their Ears against all Gospel-Charmers tho never so wise But this God never did nor never will do but as the Fruit and Effect of provoking Sin and Disobedience for which see Psal 81. 11. But my People would not hearken to my Voice and Israel would have none of me so I gave them up c. Acts 7. 42. Rom. 1. 24 26. Hosea 4. 17. So that the ground of God's shutting their Eyes and hardning their Hearts was but the effect of their first shutting their own Eyes and Ears Acts 28. 27. Pro. 29. 1. When Men obstinately reject the Proposals of Mercy in the Gospel of Peace from such God may justly withdraw his illuminating Grace and wholly leave them in the dark and to themselves to follow their unbridled natures Duveil upon this place Acts 28. 27. quotes the words of Mollerus Clemens who explaining the words of Christ that seeing they should not see and hearing they should not hear Mat. 13. tell us That it is not lawful to think that ignorance was wrought in them by the Lord but it was a prophetical Discourse of that which was to be and signified that they would not heed those things that were spoken for neither do the Prophets blind any People nor doth God when he causeth blindness in them do this efficaciously but seeing he daily sheweth them his Will and moreover did many and those stupendous Miracles yet they despised and made a mock of them all God was provoked with their stubbornness so that he withdrew himself from them and so suffered them to wander and perish blindfolded in their darkness and that by his just Judgment Philet Is it not said Deut. 29. 4. That the Lord had not given them a Heart to perceive and Eyes to see and Ears to hear to this day Philad 'T is said so they once had seen the Wonders that the Lord did for them in the Land of Egypt unto Pharaoh c. as vers 3 4. yet the Lord hath not given thee a Heart to perceive and Eyes to see c. They once knew and did see and understand that it was the Lord that wrought deliverance for them in Egypt and at the Red-Sea and they sang his Praise but soon forgot his Works Psal 106. 12. yea rebelled and vexed his Holy Spirit and so the Lord took away the Light he once gave and did not continue it to that day which Moses spoke to them and indeed thus hath God dealt with others and will deal with us if we neglect to follow the Light he affords to us even leave us in the dark So the Lord has done to many to whom he once gave a Heart to perceive and Eyes to see and yet he hath not given them to this day The Jews and Jerusalemites had the things belonging to their Peace revealed to them but now saith Christ they are hid from your Eyes 't is just with God many times to turn the wisdom of the Wise to foolishness Philet But what say you to 1 Pet. 2. 8. They stumbled at the Word being disobedient whereunto they were appointed And so Isa 8. 14 15. which is a Prophecy of Christ that he shall be for a Sanctuary to the Elect but for a stone of stumbling and for a Rock of Offence c. And so Luke 2. 34. Mat. 13. 10 11. Luke 8. 10. Philad Why what should I say to it shall I say that God laid Christ in the way and sent his Word and Gospel into the World with an intent that most Persons should stumble at this Stone and be broken to pieces or that Christ died so far for all Men that the Word might be preached to the whole World that so the greatest part might stumble disobey and reject Christ and the Gospel Should I say so it would be a great impeachment of God's Justice and Holiness and would make him the Author of Sin and Disobedience so contrary to his Nature And I once again desire you not to think that the bare naming a Text or Texts of Scripture enough to confirm an Opinion but that you seriously mind the Context with the sense and drift of the Holy Ghost in the Text and explain Scripture by Scripture otherwise we may run our selves into a thousand Misunderstandings contrary to the Analogy or Rule of Faith Now if we compare this Text with what you have in Acts 13. 47. Isa 49. 6. Tit. 2. 11. with many other places you will find that neither Christ nor the Gospel is sent into the World intentionally for any to stumble and disobey it but Christ is to be preached and held forth by Gospel-Ministers for the Salvation of all in the whole World that believe in him as Tit. 2. 11. For the Grace of God that bringeth Salvation hath appeared unto all Men c. or as our old Translation renders it For that Grace of God which bringeth Salvation unto all Men hath appeared Here you may see that this Grace in the offers of it and in the Intention of God is of a saving tendency and importance to all Men and the savingness of it and Salvation by it is tendered alike to all Men So that Christ came not into the World to be a Rock of Offence at which the greatest part of Men should stumble and fall but to shed his Blood for all Men not only for those that are saved but also for those which through unbelief and impenitency are not saved John 3. 17. Besides your Texts if read in that Spirit in which they were wrote shew you that they were appointed or put to the Word and they stumbled at that and were disobedient to that they stumbled at Christ and the Word out of stubbornness and wilfulness not for want of Light Mr. Loveday in his Exposition on Rom. 9. pag. 33. saith That Dr. Hammond reads the words That those that are disobedient to the Gospel and stand obstinately against Christ are those who are by God appointed and declared so to stumble as to be ruined by their obstinacy So that disobedience to the Gospel is not to be imputed to the God of Heaven but the God of this World 2 Cor.
6. and when they assayed to go into Bithynia the Spirit suffered them not ver 7. Philad For what reason God would not that the Gospel should at that time be preached by Paul and Timothy in Asia is hid from us he might have many either that he would make use of their Ministry somewhere else or that he had appointed some others to the Work whatsoever it was certainly the Reason is not to be brought from God's absolute Decree of Reprobation as Calvin upon this place doth for it is certain that the Gospel was at least soon after preached and that in this place by Paul himself so that Demetrius the Siver-smith did greatly lament the admirable progress of the Gospel in Asia Acts 19. 26. And in the 10th Verse you may see that Paul continued for the space of two years at Ephesus which was the Metropolis of Asia insomuch that it was said That all they that dwelt in Asia heard the Word of the Lord Jesus both Jews and Greeks Mar. But all Men have not the Gospel preached to them nor the same Light and Means to know the Lord and so come to believe in him and surely if Christ died for all Men for the whole World he would have sent amongst them the Word of Life and removed out of the way all those things which he knew would have hindered their Salvation and therefore I cannot think but all those Nations which the Gospel is not sent to are left by the Lord in the Fall and reserved for Eternal Punishment Philad As it was in Paul's time so it is now the Jews prided themselves against the Gentiles as being the only Elect People and the Gentiles but Reprobates and Cast-aways and so do such as you are at this day by the Nations which have not the Gospel-light as I have often heard to my great grief even damn them by whole-sale looking upon them little better than Devils What tho the Lord according to his manifold Wisdom is pleased to vouchsafe a greater sufficiency of means to know the Lord and to know what God hath done for them and by the Gospel reveals those things which otherwise in an ordinary way could not be known to one Nation or one Age and Generation of Men more than another yet knowing and by daily experience finding God to be infinite in Goodness and Mercy I cannot but believe he hath effectually provided for their Salvation as well as ours tho the ordinary means is wanting as at this day in many parts of the World for tho Faith is not now begotten in them by preaching and hearing as with us at this day yet God hath many ways to instruct and communicate his Will to Man Job 33. yea to reveal Christ in such manner and ways as may be available for Jesus Christ who took Man's Nature upon him and who hath taken away their original Guilt and who enlightens every Man that comes into the World may by the Operation of his Spirit how and when he pleaseth so help them to improve their single Talent of Reason and the Light set up in their Consciences which may so perfect what is wanting of the ordinary means that many thousands according to our Saviour's words Mat. 8. 11. shall come from the East and the West and sit down with Abraham Isaac and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven when the Children of the Visible Kingdom or Church who judged themselves the sole Inheritors of it and all the rest of the World but Castaways shall be shut out and if you look Psal 87. you may see that those that had their natural Birth in Rahab Tyre Ethiopia Philistia Babylon shall be accounted as born in the Spiritual Zion or Church of God And tho the Lord in his Wisdom and Mercy is pleased to vouchsafe a greater measure of Grace Light and Knowledg and of Salvation unto us than unto them yet hath not God left himself without Witness all the common Providences of God being given to direct Men to seek the Lord. In Rom. 2. 14 15. we read that the Gentiles which have not the Law do by Nature the things c. That Law which was given in two Tables of Stone was that which was purely moral and imprinted in their Hearts namely that God is to be worshipped that Parents should be honoured and in a word to do to all as they would be done to These were Duties written in he very Book of Nature and tho they have not the Evangelical Law in the preaching of the Gospel as we have become a Law to themselves and by observing the Dictates of that Light living up to a true informed Conscience and to that Law which warreth against the rebellious Lusts in their Members have gradually so prevailed with them as to bring them to a good measure of conformity to the Will of God and have quite outdone many Christians in their practices Mar. What tho yet if Christ as Mediator be not some-way made known to Men they are lost for ever He that believeth on the Son hath Life and he that believeth not on the Son hath not Life But you seem to hold that it is not absolutely necessary to Salvation to know Christ and him crucified as Mediator but to live up to that which God hath manifested to them and to have some Notions of Unisersal Grace and Mercy in the Divine Essence But I must tell you all that ever were saved before Christ came were saved not by living up to that Light which God had given to all Men or by living up to a true conformity to the Law planted in their Hearts or by believing God was merciful and gracious but by believing on Christ who was to come to be a Sacrifice for their Sins and all that are saved since our Saviour's coming do in some measure know and believe in Jesus Christ that died without the Gates of Jerusalem Philad Have you forgot that you told me that I went too far to assert the Salvation of all those that died in Infancy I not being the Sovereign Lord and Judg of all and now are you not guilty of the same thus to determine the final State of all Men both before and since Christ's coming in the Flesh as if none were saved but only such as distinctly knew Jesus Christ the Seed of the Woman that was to break the Serpent's Head as he that was to offer himself a Sacrifice for Sin seeing I believe neither you nor any other is able to prove that no Heathen wanting the Letter of the Gospel and the Oral Ministry of it which is the ordinary Means to beget Faith never yet believed on God to Justification or were accepted with him And whereas you say none can be saved who diligently frame their Lives according to the Light God hath given them or live in a true conformity to the Law written in their Hearts This is but your presumption for if God hath given them no other Law or Light
only himself but all his Posterity if he should have had any under Sentence of Death and Condemnation yet did the Lord who delights in Mercy before he pronounc'd the Sentence due to him for Sin graciously promise a Saviour Gen. 3. 15. by which he was put into a state of Recovery from this dreadful Fall And God by this gracious Promise took whole Adam into Grace and Favour And you can no more exclude any from Justification of Life which hath abounded towards all by Christ than you can exclude them from the Condemnation which hath abounded towards them by Adam Rom. 5. 16 17 18 19. Here the condemned Ones by Adam and the justified of Christ are computed by one and the same Number For as we hear of the Condemnation of all Men by the Offence of Adam so of no fewer than all Men justified by Christ and no more than many made Sinners by Adam or of any fewer than many made Righteous by Christ Mar. Let it be well observed that the Scope of the Apostle in this place is to shew that as Death and Condemnation came inevitably upon all the first Adam's Posterity by his Fall so shall the free Gift of Righteousness come infallibly upon all in whose room and stead Christ died as their Second Adam their Surety and Mediator the first Adam's All was all Mankind the second Adam's All was the Elect upon which Justification and Sanctification shall most certainly and infallibly be bestowed upon them Philad But why the All in the first Clause should be taken for all Mankind without excepting so much as one and All in the latter should exclude all Men a few only excepted I know not For unless Persons will take to themselves a lawless Liberty to exercise Dominion over the Expression of the Holy Ghost they cannot make them greater or lesser in one Clause than in the other for if Condemnation should come upon all Men by the offence of Adam and Righteousness only upon some few by the Obedience of Christ then where Sin abounded Grace should not super-abound as Verse 20. unless Grace hath a proportionable Reign unto Life so as to put all Men into a Capacity of Life and Salvation as Sin reigned over all Men without exception unto Death Philet The Apostle's Scope is to shew that as Death came in by one publick Person so Life and Salvation came in by another publick Person and that the Lord Jesus will infallibly justify and save his All for whom he undertook and died as their Head and Representative Philad But it seems you will not own that the Grace of Christ did profit Mankind as much as the Sin of Adam damnified it No you make Christ less than Adam and that Adam did more to the damning of the Souls and Bodies of all his Posterity than Christ did for the saving of them if so what will become of Paul's glorying over the Grace of God in Christ as much more abounding as in Verse 15. For if thro the offence of one many be dead much more the Grace of God and the Gift by Grace which is by one Jesus Christ hath abounded unto many But now if many more Millions of Men are dead thro the offence of Adam than are made alive by the Grace of God in Christ where 's the much more Philet All Men being fallen in Adam God beholding Mankind in the corrupt Mass and he being the Sovereign Lord of all might at his Pleasure and in his electing Love pardon one or a few of fallen Mankind and by an eternal Decree of Reprobation leave the greatest part of Mankind in that sad and depraved Condition without any Power to believe or a Christ to believe in and this he might do because he hath an absolute and uncontroulable Power and Dominion over his Creatures Philad Now you run upon a Fundamental Mistake about personal and absolute Election and Reprobation You make Adam's Sin the Foundation of building your fearful Opinion upon that Man suffers Eternal Damnation for Adam's Sin This is a most sad Doctrine that God should lay men under a necessity of being born under the Guilt of that Sin which was out of their Power to help or withstand for men can no more help Adam's Sin than they could help being born and yet for that cast away the greatest part of Mankind forever Shall one Man sin and will the Lord be wrath with all Num. 16. 22. 'T is true when Man by disobedience became Bankrupt of the Divine Bounty and had run himself so far in Debt both to the Law and Justice beyond any possibility to pay the Debt the Lord in Justice might have left him in the Fall and made him Partaker of his fierce Wrath Yet was the Lord pleased to break forth in high and much Mercy and in the tenderness of his Love deeply compassionating Man's Misery entered into a Covenant of Peace freely giving his only Son to satisfy the whole Debt and set us free for which we are obliged to be unfeignedly thankful to our dear Lord and truly to love him that first loved us and hath promised that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have Everlasting Life God hath now tied himself by promise and hath firmly indented with us in the Covenant of Grace and Mercy through Christ that if we believe and obey the Lord we shall undoubtedly reap the blessed Fruits of the Promise in Eternal Life Therefore I beseech you do not entertain such dreadful Apprehensions of an Infinite Gracious God that he should send Millions of Men to endless torments for Adam's single Transgression Surely if it was so the Holy Ghost who so effectually in the Scriptures of Truth vindicates the Righteousness and Equity of God's Proceedings in the Condemnation of wicked and ungodly Men would have insisted more or less upon it we should find something of it in the Word of God either from Christ or some of his Servants but I cannot find the least hint of it in the whole Scripture that ever the Lord decreed to assign Men their Portions with Devils for that Sin it being taken away as to the condemning Guilt of it by the Grace of God in Christ Where doth the Scripture say that for Adam's Sin in eating the forbidden Fruit God hateth the greatest part of his Posterity yea so hates them as to reprobate them to the second Death but plainly tells us the Child shall not suffer for the Father's Sins Ezek. 18. Philet But doth not the Lord say Exod. 20. 5. That he will visit the Sins of the Father upon the Children c. Philad Yea but 't is to those that hate him mind the words If Children come to be haters of God as their Fathers were treading in the same steps of sin and disobedience with their wicked Parents they thereby becoming partakers of their sins shall share with them in their punishment But this doth not shew that God will condemn any for that offence which
Death those Infants and Sucklings no more than to take away by Death many thousands which daily die through the World for Death reigns over all and when Infants are taken away either by a Natural Death or in any cruel manner 't is for Sin even that of Adam's yea many times their own Parents Sin hastens the Death of the Child and in Temporals very often the Children suffer for the Father's fault not only in the good things of this Life but also Death it self as in the Old World and in the overthrow of Sodom and are slain with the Sword as in this Case and likewise in those common Calamities which have befallen Nations and Cities But what will any one dare to say that such Infants and Sucklings are damned Who can forbear trembling at such a dreadful conceit And surely you that hold than Infants have sin enough from Adam to damn them to Hell had need bring good Scripture-proof for such a dreadful Doctrine But I need say no more to this than to refer you to what Mr. Grantham hath writ upon this Subject in his Answer to Mr. Petto and Mr. Firmin in his Presumption no Proof and his Infants Advocate First and Second Parts where if you be not wedded to your Opinion or blinded with Prejudice you will see that though all are guilty of Adam's Sin Rom. 5. 14. yet Infants by the presentment of the Satisfaction of Christ are and shall be sav'd for the free Gift cometh upon all Rom 5. 18. Mar. Come leave this Philetus you may easily perceive that Philadelphus owns that rotten and corrupt Opinion of universal Redemption a grand piece of Popery Philet Yea I see he 's an Arminian and I doubt a Free-willer too which is an old Pelagian Heresy and hath been condemned for an Error long since by the best and most knowing Christians Philad This is but the Devil's subtilty and delusion to hood-wink Peoples Eyes and to draw on a Vizor upon the lovely Face of true Religion to make it extremely deformed that so People may start at the naming of it Mod. Come pray let us have no Heats Philad There shall be none for me yet methinks they deal in our Day and Time by those that own the Truths of the Lord much like the barbarous Pagans did by the Christians under the persecuting Emperors who that they might have some Pretence to put them to death loaded them with odious Names and Imputations as if all the Troubles that were in the World happened for their Sakes As may be seen in Tertullian's Apology for the Christians Or as they did when they put them to death in their publick Theater they put upon them the Skin of some Savage Beast or put them into the shape of Monsters such as the nature of Man has the most Antipathy against that they might be the more excited to destroy them and the more expos'd to the fury of the Dogs Even so the noise of Arminians Pelagians Popery Free-willers and I know not what sounds so terrible to the Ears of some that they neither will nor dare examine either the Writings or Opinions of those that differ from them by the Word of God Mod. Neither will nor dare for what reason Philad Why only their Teachers whom they admire have drawn them into a dislike of the Truth of God by putting the Name of Ignominy and Reproach upon them What tho the Papists hold universal Redemption and are so unhappy to hold this part of Truth in unrighteousness Doth it therefore cease to be a Truth Or must I be ashamed or afraid to own it because held for a Truth by them May I not as well renounce the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament yea God and Christ too lest I should be accounted a Papist The Devil held that Christ was the Holy One of God and may not I do so too It will not excuse any in the Rejection of any Truth to say the Papists hold it Tho it was told Paul Acts 28. 22. That this Sect was every-where spoken against yet it did not turn him out of the way or make him out of love with the Truths of God neither ought it to do any and tho you may call this Truth Popery Arminianism c. yet was it owned for a Truth before Popery or James Arminius was heard of or had any being in the World and is indeed the ground of all Saving-Truth and Soul-establishing Comfort since the Foundation of the World and the contrary to it will be found to appear rotten and unsound having no firm footing in the Word of God let it be varnish'd over with never such dresses of Words or pretence of Zeal thereby to make the Face of it shine in the Eyes of others And I must tell you I look upon it to be a piece of daring Pride in any that shall confidently attempt to set bounds and limits to God's infinite Wisdom and Goodness acted towards all Men in the death of his Son Philet Well I am one of those that hold that God looking upon Man in the Fall did set his Love upon some of the fallen Race chusing some to eternal Life and Salvation for which he gave his Son to die for them and rejected others and never afforded them an Object to believe in nor power to believe but hath left them to perish Philad Pray prove what you affirm if you can Philet That God chuseth some to Life and leaveth others in the Fall of his meer Will and Pleasure I prove it by the Instance of Jacob and Esau Rom. 9. 13. As it is written Jacob have I loved and Esau have I hated And this was done before they were born the one elected to eternal Life and the other reprobated to eternal Death and this at the meer Will and Pleasure of God Philad I know it is concluded from this Text that Esau in Person was damned but this is but Mens Rashness and Presumption there is not the least Syllable in all the word of God that I know of for Persons to ground such a Belief or from whence to draw such a dreadful Conclusion that Esau should be damned eternally Love and Hatred in this Text may be with respect to Temporal Blessings and so Esau may be said to be hated and Jacob loved because to Jacob was given the fruitful Land of Canaan and to Esau was given the barren Country of Mount Seir Or Love and Hatred may be with respect to Christ the promised Seed and so Jacob was separated or sanctified to be the Fore-father of Christ according to the Flesh and Esau with respect to that rejected and so was but a common or profane Person Now this was one end of Circumcision to distinguish the Family of whom Christ should be born and to keep that People of whom the Messiah was to come unmixt from the idolatrous Nations Now Esau very justly lost that Blessing for selling his Birth-Right at so base a Price for
none think that God will do all our Works for us while we sit still and do nothing For as God must blow upon the Spark of Grace by his Spirit so we should be storing up Holy Endeavours God will not bring his People to Heaven sleeping but praying in the use of Means and Holy Ordinances yet may Means and Duties be greatly abused if we be not careful Philad Yea they are abused when we do not look through them all to Jesus or when we make them as Mediators set them in the room of Christ or when Christ is not eyed sought to admired and trusted in Alas What can poor Sinners do without a Jesus There is no Salvation in any other the highest measure of Believing Doing or Suffering cannot turn away God's Wrath for the least Sin All our Prayers Tears Alms Duties do not pacifie God no we must with Holy Paul count all as nothing to win Christ so that had not Christ perfectly fulfilled the Law and have been made a Curse for us Gal. 3. 13. the exactest Christian could have no grounded hopes of Heaven there is no escaping the Curse but by Christ so that all that do or have escap'd the Curse have cause to say that not their own Graces nor their own Works but Christ hath delivered them from Wrath to come 'T is Christ's precious undertaking that gives us a right to Heaven but yet our walking in the Holy Commands of God fits us for it For without holiness none shall see the Lord Heb. 12. 14. Rev. 21. 27. Philet If Christ be our Righteousness and Sanctification as 1 Cor. 1. what need we have any Righteousness of our own Nay there is no Qualification or Condition in the New Covenant required on our part 't is all free 't was free Love in God to send his Son to die for his People and free Love in Christ to lay down his Life for the Elect neither is it the Elect but Christ that stands engaged to God by the New Covenant free Grace wholly excludes Self or any thing we can do as a Cause procuring or as a Condition qualifying us for the receiving of it Here 's a comfortable difference between the New Covenant and the Old the Old was such that in case Man did fail to perform his Condition the Covenant was broke and God was free from giving Life but in the New Covenant Man is tied to no Condition that he must perform which if he doth not it will make the Covenant void to him and those that teach otherwise detract and lessen the free Grace of God and attribute something to the Creature Philad Tho' the Love Grace and Mercy of God in our Redemption be wholly free no one sought out to him for a Saviour but he alone was moved by his own Love to a poor lost Creature and first sought after him when he was fallen God was not bound to bring forth a Saviour for any he was not laid under any necessity to cast an Eye of Pity upon Man it was an Act of free Grace to save Sinners by the Obedience and Suffering of Jesus Yet is nothing to be accounted free Grace without the Lord for the sake of Christ pardon the Sins of the most Impure and Impenitent and bring them to Heaven whether they will or no Was not God at liberty to pardon Sinners in what way and upon what terms he pleased such as he in his Wisdom should judg most meet and most consistent with his Justice Mercy Truth and Holiness God hath no where promised to save Men by Jesus Christ that I know of but by Repentance Faith and Obedience as the means as you may see John 3. 16 36. Mark 16. 16. Luke 13. 3 5. Mat. 4. 17. Acts 3. 19. Rev. 22. 14. Rom. 2. 7 8 9 10. and in Heb. 5. 9. Christ is there said to be the Author of Eternal Salvation To whom To those that continue in their Rebellion and Impenitency No but to such as obey him 't is true Christ came into the World that the Sentence of Eternal Death might not be executed upon us yet 't is ungrateful wickedness and no better than to tread under foot the infinite price of Forgiveness to think because his Blood hath purchased a Pardon therefore we are freed from our Duty to him And whereas you say that in the New Covenant Man is tied to no Condition that he must perform c. and that not Man but Christ stands engaged to God c. methinks 't is a very sine way to acquit your self of all Sins and consequently of all punishment for Sin but if Christ stands ingaged to repent believe and obey the Gospel how comes it to pass that Persons are exhorted to them and charged with Sin upon the omission of them Surely then all the Sins of the Elect for they sin as well as others must be charged upon Christ and he stands guilty of all the breaches of the New Covenant how an you endure to speak this without abhorrence But is there no Condition no Qualification required on our parts in order to come to partake of the Great and Gracious Promises Then what 's the meaning of all these Scriptures John 15. 10. Prov. 4. 5. Rom. 8. 13. Mic. 7. 21. prov 28. 13. Rom. 2 8 9. and what are all those Blessed and most Gracious Promises in Mat. 5 Do they not include Conditions something to be done on our parts if we would find acceptance with the Lord Pray read Luke 13. 3. John 6. 53. Mat. 18. 3. John 3. 5. Mat. 5. 20. John 15. 20. Nay view those many Expressions which you find in the Word of God in the Commands Exhortations Instructions Threatnings and Promises and then see whether we come to injoy the great Blessings of the Gospel without conditions Mar. Doth not the Scripture say Isa 64. 6. That all our Righteousnesses are as filthy Rags yea as a menstruous Cloth Philad I am satisfied that this Scripture is greatly abused for want of a right understanding and rightly distinguishing between that Righteousness which doth justisie us at the Bar of God's Justice and that Righteousness which is God's Requirement and so the Creatures Duty now taken in one Sense they are no better than filthy Rags and in the other they are now if we expect to merit Heaven and obtain Eternal Salvation for well doing this is to overthrow the blessed undertaking of Jesus Christ and lessen the free Grace of God as if Persons could go to Heaven without being beholden to Jesus And here it is that they are no better in the sight of God having no worth or value but are rejected of the Lord as filthy Rags but now as they are the Holy Commands and Appointments of the Lord and the Creature 's Duty who dare say that they are in the sight of God as filthy Rags or as stinking Carrion What hath God required his Creatures to perform such and such Duties and hath promised
his Spirit to assist them in the performance of their Duties and when the Creatures have done the best they can nay when they have the assistance of the Spirit What all no better than Abomination Ah! what pity is it that Men to hold up a fond Opinion should have such unworthy thoughts of God What said David Ps 141. 2. Let my Prayers be set forth before thee as Incense and the lifting up of my hand as the evening Sacrifice and said the Angel to Cornelius Acts 10. 4. Thy Prayers and thy Alms-deeds are come up for a memorial before God they were acceptable in the sight of God and the Lord was well pleased with them as Heb. 13. 16. but to do good and to communicate forget not for with such Sacrifices God is well pleased and so Phil. 4. 18. An odour of sweet smell a Sacrifice acceptable and well pleasing to God Read Prov. 12. 22. Psal 147. 11. Act. 10. 35. Mal. 3. 4. In all which you may see That as they are commanded of the Lord and the Creatures Duty they are acceptable to him Mar. If of Works then not of Grace there 's no Reward belongs to any good Works Heaven and Eternal Salvation is the free Gift of God And I must tell you that all such as you are stand condemned and accursed by the Apostle Paul that set up the Golden Calf of your own Sanctification Philad What is it not possible for free Gift and Reward to stand together nor for Gospel-Dutys and a heavenly Reward to be linked and joyned together or is it a Dishonour to God to say he rewards his own Grace What are you such a Stranger to the Scripture that you have not read of Recompence or Reward which God will bestow upon those that are faithful not for the desert of the Work or Worker but for the Faithfulness of the Promiser which God who cannot lie hath promised Pray read Prov. 19. 17. Blessed is he that hath Mercy upon the Poor the Lord will recompence that which he hath given him And saith our Saviour a Cup of cold Water shall not lose its Reward Matt. 10. 24. Mat. 20. 34. Rev. 22. 12. Psal 19. But it seems you would put it out of all doubt that you pretend to depend upon your own Righteousness and that the Almighty by his Bounty and Grace having elected you he cannot expect any Duty from you You must as Cliford in the New Covenant p. 197. saith Have a cheap Religion Faith without Works pardon without trouble of Repentance and Heaven without Holiness and free Grace to save you without Obedience or you are undone to Eternity Indeed if any shall believe that their own Obedience to any Precept of the Lord justly merits Heaven then they might dance about their Duties as the Israelites about their Golden Calf but I hold no such thing but do believe that we are far from meriting any thing at the Hand of God for he that merits must do these three things 1st He must do the Work of himself without the Help and Assistance of another for if he doth it by the Help and Assistance of another the other merits both the Praise and Reward Now where is the Man that can come forth and say that what good he doth he doth it without the assisting Grace of God and if he cannot say so then the Thanks and Praise is due to God alone 2dly He must do it of mere good Will and not of Duty that which is of Duty cannot merit because a Man is bound to do it so that if Men could love the Lord with all their Hearts Strength and Soul and their Neighbours as themselves which is a thing no Man can do yet is it far from meriting because it is but their Duty and but a reasonable Service that they should honour the Lord with that which they receive from him as holy David said 1 Chron. 29. 11 12. and so on the more we do the more we stand indebted to Divine Grace for enabling us to do it what have any that have not received it first from God 1 Cor. 4. 7. 2 Cor. 3. 5. Eph. 2. 8. 3dly The Work done to merit must be proportionable to the Reward or there can be no Merit but alas what 's the best of Performance which is performed by infirm Man can it have that Worth and Dignity in them as to oblige the Lord to give unto them eternal Life by way of Retribution If God should reward us according to our Works miserable would be our Case so that unless it can be proved that our present Work is comparable to the Glory which is to be revealed there can be no Merit 't is a free Gift 't is Bounty for suppose I should set any Man to work to mow in my Field and for that Labour give him a Shilling or Fourteen or Sixteen Pence here 's only Equity and Justice the Man's Labour really deserved it but if for this one days faithful Labour according to his Strength I shou'd give him a Thousand Pounds this is Bounty so that no finite Creature or Worker can merit an infinite Reward or a finite Act cannot merit of an Infinite God an Infinite Reward Philet Therefore you that preach and press to Duty are but legal Preachers and such as would lead Men to Popery and into a dead Faith for it much derogates from the free Grace of God and lessens the alsufficiency of Christ's Merits and at best makes but moral Christians Philad Is there any such thing as Holiness and Duty to be observed if there be may they not be preached and urged or how can any of you that own the Scriptures scorn or disallow it seeing it calls the Saints not only to the Study and Practice of Holiness but also to grow and increase in it 1 Thess 4. 16. 1 Pet. 1. 15. 2 Pet. 3. 18. 1 Cor. 15. 58. Tho we cannot merit Heaven yet 't is our Obedience both in Heart and Life makes us capable of injoying Heaven through the Redemption of our Saviour we must be Workers or Labourers not Loyterers St. Paul exhorts the Christians of his time to be working out their Salvation with fear and trembling It seems the Christians are to do something towards their own Salvation Phil. 4. 17. In 2 Cor. 9. 6. Paul speaking of Charity shews it to be a means not a merit to conduce to a plentiful increase and 2 Pet. 1. 11. tells us that Grace exercised is a means to farther our Salvation But it seems we must not acknowledg God a Rewarder of his own Grace or any good Duty which he enables his People to perform but straight we preach Popery how then can any desire to be good or do good Philet For all the pressing us to Duty yet we do not build the Hopes of our Salvation upon so sandy a Foundation as our own Righteousness our hopes are in the Lord we put our trust in Christ and hope to be
apprehends the Mercy of God in Christ c. yet this is not all that Faith doth for it sanctifies Act. 26. 18. and purifies the Heart Act. 15. 9. 't is a Flesh-mortifying and a World-conquering Faith 1 John 5. 4 5. and leads forth the Soul to cleave to the Lord in obedience to his Will Hence is it said that Enoch by Faith walked with God and Abraham by Faith obeyed and went and by Faith offer'd his Son Isaac All Faith that is not such a Faith is but a fancy or a fantastical Faith a Faith of the most wicked and profane that believe they shall be saved tho they never are sanctified and so over-look the Precept of our Lord and Injunction of our Saviour I may say in this case as Peter in another many while they promise to themselves Liberty become the Servants of Sin so many while they advance the Grace of Faith destroy the Power of Godliness not considering that they are two inseparable Companions Persons may as well separate Light from the Sun or Heat from the Fire as true Faith and Holiness but for the present let this pass Have you any thing to say farther to prove that God hath chosen some to Life and rejected others without any respect to Faith or Holiness Philet I might prove it from Cain and Abel Gen. 4. 4 5. where you may see that the Lord had respect to Abel and to his Offering and not to Cain and his Offering and so Heb. 11. 4. Abel offered a more acceptable Sacrifice than Cain Now it is not said that the Lord had respect to Abel's Offering but to Abel and his Offering so that if you ask me why the Lord had respect to Abel's Offering I must answer because he had respect to Abel's Person And why did he respect Abel's Person but because it was his pleasure to chuse him in Christ For had not Abel's Person pleased God his Offering could not and so the contrary of Cain to Cain and his Offering he had no regard Cain being reprobated in his Person his very Sacrifice was abominable in the sight of God and no less than Sin Philad Abel did offer a more acceptable Sacrifice and God had a respect unto it for this Reason because Abel offered with a chearful Heart and willing Mind in Faith to which purpose 't is said that he brought not only of his Sheep but of the fattest and best of them he did not think the best of his Flock too good to serve the Lord with what he did was from an upright Heart and for holy and divine Ends and offer'd in Faith spiritually But Cain's Oblation was of the Fruits of the Ground and as it seemeth without choice or difference and from an impure Heart and wicked Mind or at the best done in Formality so that the Lord accepting Abel was not the Effect of absolute Election but sheweth the sincerity of Abel's heart and the demonstration of his great Faith neither was Cain's Rejection the real effect of an irrespective Reprobation but rather of his outward formality and inward corruption for afterwards the Lord said to Cain If thou dost well shalt thou not be accepted God is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance and Cain amongst the rest Mar. I suppose Philetus if you could but own that rotten Notion of Universal Redemption you might soon agree otherwise there 's no hopes of doing any good with him or drawing to any conclusion in this point Philad Martha Universal Redemption is no rotten or unsound Doctrine for if it be then Christ did not die for all which is to give the Lie to the Holy Ghost seeing the Scriptures in great plainness and expresness of Words assert the Redemption of all by Christ without excepting so much as one For to my knowledg I never yet read in the Scripture that Christ laid down his Life for some few elect Persons only neither do I believe any Scripture can be produced that affirms that Christ died only for the Elect only for Believers or any Text that denieth that he died for all Men without exception if it doth shew me the place Philet Doth not Christ say John 10. 11. I am the good Shepherd the good Shepherd giveth his Life for the Sheep Verse 15. I lay down my Life for the Sheep and so Eph. 5. 25. where Christ is said to love his Church and to give himself for it Doth it not therefore follow that he gave his Life for his Church his Elect only Philad No not at all tho Christ did lay down his Life for his Sheep for such as hear his Voice and follow him and loved his Church so as to give himself for it yet it doth not say that he loved no other nor laid down his Life for none but his Sheep seeing the Scripture saith he bought those that deny him neither did Christ die for any as they were his Sheep as Saints or as his Friends but as his Enemies and Sinners such as were polluted in their Blood and without his gracious Undertaking for them were like to perish Philet But saith the Scripture Christ came not to be ministred unto but to minister c. and to give his Life a Ransom for many Matt. 20. 28. Rom. 5. 15. Heb. 9. 28. Surely he that gave his Life a Ransom for many shed his Blood for many did not die for all Philad What you would have these Scriptures prove I grant you Christ died for many for his Church for his Elect for his Saints and Sheep yet it doth not prove that he died for none else this is contrary to Scripture Reason and Sense for no Scripture saith that he died for none but such and I may as well prove from Gal. 2. 20. that Christ died only for Paul because he saith that Christ loved him and gave his Life for him as you can prove from these Texts that Christ died only for Saints Philet Had Christ died for all he would have prayed for all John 17. 9. You have these Words I pray for them I pray not for the World that is the wicked Reprobates of the World Surely those that Christ never prayed for he never died for but the Non-Elect he never prayed for therefore he never died for them Who can imagine that if Christ had loved the World so as to shed his Blood for them that he would refuse to pray for them yet in ver 19. he saith that he prayed for them that were given him of the Father that had or should receive his word believingly and he said he prayed not for the World which World must be understood of those that were not given him by the Father the Non-Elect he had no desire they should be saved Now those whose Salvation he prayed not for on Earth he interceeds not for in Heaven and those that he interceeds not for he purchased not with his Blood Mar. Our Saviour being now near his
Death he declares who he was to die for not for all Adam's Posterity but those whom the Father had given him to be his mystical Body and for those I pray as ver 9. I pray for them I pray not for the World As if Christ had said I am so far from dying for all Adam's Posterity that I will not so much as pray as Mediator for any but those thou hast given me Philad Could it be proved that Christ did not pray for all yet it doth not follow that he did not die for all because no Scripture saith Christ did not die for those he did not pray for Scripture Redemption freed from Restraints p. 75. And Dr. Homes in many things a Friend of yours yet upon John 3. 37. p. 15. says When Men urge that Argument out of John 17. 9. Christ prayed not for the World therefore he paid not for the World The Consequence may be excepted upon many good Reasons for tho Christ did not pray for the World yet he might pay for the World 1st Paying is giving Satisfaction praying solicites God's Mercy 2dly Paying containeth a Preparation of the Plaster necessary for Man's Salvation Praying is the means of applying the Remedy to the Malady 3dly Paying Satisfaction belongs to the common Nature of Man which Christ assumeth Praying is a special Privilege vouchsafed to such Persons only as the Father hath given to his Son Thus you see one of your Favourites against you in this Case But what if Christ did not pray for the World in this 9th Verse doth it therefore follow that he did not pray for the World at all Christ being now just taking his leave of the World and about to be taken from his faithful and true Followers and to leave them as Sheep amongst Wolves doth therefore most earnestly recommend them to his Father and from Verse the 6th to the 19th makes mention of his Disciples only and then in verse 20 and 21. prays for all those that should believe on him through their Words and in ver 21 and 23. prays for the World that they might have a belief and knowledg of him Philet Ay but what Belief and Knowledge Philad Why doubtless saving Knowledg such a Faith and Knowledg as was accompanied with Salvation Philet But surely if Christ had prayed for the World that the World might have savingly believed in him and known him then the World would have believed on him and known him because whatsoever Christ prayed for to the Father shall certainly be granted Christ was always heard of the Father and the Father's Mind and Will was eternally known to the Son and he came into the World to do the Father 's Will. Now Christ knowing that there was a World which the Father never intended to redeem to give him to die for it would have been vain yea inconsistent with the Wisdom of Christ to have prayed for that which stood diametrically opposite to the Will and Intention of the Father Philad Christ made Intercession for Transgressors Isa 53. 12. and prayed for his Enemies for those that crucified him that they might be forgiven Luke 23. 34. and also commanded us to pray for our Enemies for those that persecute us Matt. 5. 44. and for the World Christ prayed for as I have proved but it seems by what you say that Christ did not pray for the World with his whole Heart or with a desire to obtain what he prayed for Now whereas you say that whatsoever Christ prayed for shall certainly be done and that he was always heard this I believe it was and shall be according to what he intended yet when Christ prayed that the Cup might pass by him tho he prayed very earnestly he was not heard because this Prayer was conditional and with Submission to his Father's Will and so Heb. 5. 7. saith of Christ who in the Days of his Flesh c. How was Christ heard in this was he exempted from Suffering no his Prayer was conditional if the Lord will but he was so heard as to get support under his Sufferings But if whatsoever Christ prayed for was absolutely granted without any Qualification to fit the Creature for Mercy then those Jews and Gentiles that crucified him must be forgiven without Faith or Repentance because Christ prayed that they might be forgiven This would be inconsistent with the Wisdom of Christ to pray for that which stood diametrically opposite to the revealed Will of his Father For where do you find the Lord hath promised that any shall be forgiven their Sins whether they repent or not you your selves grant notwithstanding this Prayer of Christ that the Wrath of God burned at the same instant of time and afterwards against some of the Accusers Condemners Crucifiers and Mockers of Christ Synod of Dort Part 2. p. 82 83. Goodwin p. 565. Again Christ prayed in this Chapter that all those that believe in him might be one as he and his Father were one yet where do you find that Christ was heard in this that there was no Disunion in Affection between the Saints as there was none between him and his Father And did not he pray the Father to keep his Disciples from Evil can you infer from thence that they never sinned nor suffered Whatsoever Christ prayed for I believe God the Father did grant him an Answer to according to the true intent of his Prayer Philet Well I could give you many Arguments that Christ did not die for the wicked and unbelieving World but for the Elect. Philad We will leave that to the Learned yet give me leave to produce some Scriptures to prove Universal Redemption a Truth and the first sort of Scriptures that speak the Universality of Redemption by Christ are John 3. 16. God so loved the World that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life and so John 6. 51. He is the propitiation for our sins and not for ours only but the sins of the whole World 1 John 2. 2. God was in Christ reconciling the World to himself Here you see from these Scriptures with many more that might be added that Universal Redemption is no rotten nor no unsound Opinion here Christ died for the whole Word Philet Ay for what World for the World of Believers the World of the Elect that shall in the successive Generations of the World believe 't is not to be understood in such a Comprehensive Signification to include all the Men and Women in the World for the World is taken two ways in Scripture largely for all Men and strictly in a restrained Sense for the Elect or Believers Taken in this Sense Christ died for the whole World by the World understanding the Elect dispersed up and down the World Philad But where doth the Scripture speak of a World of Elect Persons but rather the Elect are opposed to the World as 1 John 5. 19. we know c. John 14.
Apostle asserts an unwillingness in Christ that any Person of Mankind whatsoever should perish and therefore delayeth his promised coming and exercises much patience and long-sufference his will and desire being that no Person whatsoever should perish but that all might by his patience and long-sufferance be led to Repentance which if it be a Truth then doubtless we must here understand all Men and not restrain it to the Elect only for the Lord is not here said to be not willing that any of his Elect should perish but that all these should come to Repentance but not willing that any universally should perish but that all should come to Repentance viz. as they are Men while they are capable of Repentance that so they may be saved Philet This Text also must be restrained to the Elect therefore saith the Apostle The Lord is long-suffering to us-wards not willing that any of the Elect or true Believers should perish c. and if you mind this Epistle is writ to the Elect to those that had obtained like precious Faith with God's Elect. Philad But the contrary will appear if you consider the Persons here mentioned are those towards whom the Lord exercised much patience and long-suffering what are they the Elect with whom the Lord is not angry therefore no need of patience for there is no room for patience to take place but only in such cases where a Person is apt to be stirred up and provoked but now God was never offended with the Elect but loveth them with the greatest love that can be neither according to your Principles were they in any danger or possibility of perishing therefore could not the patience and long-suffering of God have any reference to any such End either of Salvation or Condemnation they having Salvation infallibly assured to them by the irrevocable Decree of God So that let Christ's coming be long or speedy or should they die the first moment they breath in this World or live after never so many Sins committed yet their Salvation being decreed of God and that Decree irresistible must needs produce their Salvation Besides if we should understand it of the Elect then we may without wrong to the Apostle bring him in speaking thus God is patient to the Elect not willing that any of his Elect should perish but that all the Elect should come to repentance therefore we must needs understand that the patience and long-sufferance of God is exercised toward those that contemn his Grace yea such as go on in Sin treasuring up Wrath to themselves against the day of Wrath yet the Lord exerciseth his goodness and forbearance and long-sufferance that so his Goodness might lead them to repentance Rom 2. 3 4. yea those that the Apostle calls Vessels of Wrath fitted for destruction are yet endured with much long-suffering There is nothing that makes the Lord withhold his hand of indignation against the Wicked but the tender Compassion that is in him through Christ and therefore is the long-suffering of God said to be Salvation this is the main End and Design of God's Patience and affording Sinners a Day of Grace that so Grace and Mercy might be obtained and his Goodness and Mercy leads them to repentance and so long as God exerciseth his long-suffering towards any they are under a possibility of Repentance 1 Pet. 3. 19 20. We read that the patience and long-sufferance of God waited upon Sinners in the days of Noah and all those 120 Years he afforded them means of Repentance by Noah who was a Preacher of Righteousness to them this shews that they were not under an absolute Decree of Reprobation but rather God would have none of them to perish if they do perish it is through their own fault and folly Now this is very consistent with the Will of God and the Mind of the Holy Ghost in other Scriptures as Ezek. 18. 30 32. and 33. 11. we find this People was ready to affront and cavil with the most High much after that rude manner as in Paul's time in the 9th of the Romans and as you and many others in these our days who say that Children are made liable to Eternal Death by their Parents Transgression before they had any Sin of their own notwithstanding God hath said nay sworn the contrary Is it not strange to think how you complement nay dissemble with God when you pray unto him you tell him how merciful and bountiful he is to all and when you have turn'd your backs represent him as a hard Master making us pay for that which we never tasted and punishing us for that fault which he knows others had committed with such like injurious Imputations and horrid Blasphemies so here these fly in the Face of God and charge the Death of the Wicked upon him and boldly lay the blame at his Door and say The Ways of the Lord were not equal tho when the Lord comes to judg every one according to their Work the inequallity will be found on their side not on God's for Psal 145. 17. 25. 10. hereupon the Lord proceeds to vindicate his most righteous proceedings with the Sons of Men and shews that the Son should not bear the iniquity of the Father nor the Father the Son 's but the Soul that sins should die and therefore calls upon them to repent Where now is the Man that dares charge the God of Heaven with his Destruction Surely as God delights not in the Sin of any so neither doth he in their Death but if you do not believe the Lord upon his bare Word you have his Oath Ezek. 33. 11. As I live saith the Lord c. I will not your Destruction if you perish and die in your Sins 't is because you * Baxter's Call to the Vnconverted p. 152 153 170. chuse Destruction your own Will is the cause of your Wo The Lord which cannot lie Tit. 1. 2. saith so nay he that cannot be perjur'd As I live he swears saith Dr. Homes by the choicest of Attributes his Life which is the Root of all others and the excellency of his Being and therefore carrys a great weight with it that he is in good earnest and most cordially desires they would not perish or die eternally God will not eat his Word or be forsworn 1 Sam. 15. 29. Rom. 3. 4. Tit. 1. 2. Mar. You need cite no more Scriptures I know and believe the Scripture stands full of Exhortations and many Promises c. in his Revealed Will but he hath a Secret Will contrary to his Revealed Will relating to the same People and Object So God would have all Men to be saved and none to perish by his Revealed Will yet by his Secret Will he would have Millions to be damned and tho it be his Revealed Will that all Men should believe in his Son and all should as you say repent and turn to God yet his Secret Will is they shall neither do the one
nor the other Philad I believe God hath a Secret Will and a Revealed Will a Will that neither Men nor Angels know If it be God's absolute Will that the greatest part should be damn'd it is then the duty of the greatest part of Men to go industriously to Hell and be damn'd and to do good would be a Vice to labour to attain Heaven a Sin because it crosseth the secret Will of God and if it be God's Revealed Will that all should repent and his Secret Will that very few shall it follows from thence that it is his Will that his Will should not be done and that when a Reprobate saith Thy Will be done he rather curseth himself than prays for a Blessing And since you affirm that God hath a Secret and a Revealed Will I would have you careful that you do not interpret his Revealed Will by what you conjecture of his Secret One his Secret Will being a thing that cannot be known but rather guess at his Secret Will by his Revealed one and so judg of his Eternal Decree by what we find in his Word concerning his Promises and Threatnings which are the Copies of his Decrees It is very ill done of you to say God hath a double Will the Revealed Will being not only diverse but opposit to his Secret One God ordaining Sin with the one whilst he forbids it with the other and not always willing in secret what he reveals himself will do So that by what you say you had as good tell us God doth not mean as he speaks and so make him a hypocritical Dissembler This is a very high Affront put upon the Divine Goodness and your Testimony is not at all to be credited unless you have the Witness of God for you 1 Joh. 5. For whosoever delivers any thing for a Divine Truth if it be contrary to what is revealed to us in the Scriptures of Truth it ought to be rejected as Diabolical Suggestions all things of this nature must be warranted by the Word Let our Hearts be never so strongly inclined to believe it yea let Persons pretend never so much to the Spirit and to receive new Light yet if it be contrary to the Spirit of God speaking in the Scriptures 't is no better than a delusion of the Devil therefore to the Law and to the Testimony Isa 8. 20. John 16. 13 14 15. 1 John 4. 6. Now seeing by this your Speech you make the pure and holy God who hateth and detesteth yea forbids and punisheth Hypocrisy and Dissimulation in Man 1 Pet. 1. 15. Psal 51. 6. 1 John 3. 18. insincere and a great dissembler in his Word professing one thing and intending another which Imputation consists not with his Honour Justice and Mercy which is always one with his Will and his Will always the same and not two opposite Wills I therefore challenge a proof for what you say or I shall record your words as blasphemous Philet I cannot prove it in those positive terms but if you look 1 Sam. 2. 30. it may give us some grounds to think so I said indeed that thy House should walk before me for ever but far be it from me c. Here you see the Lord said one thing and decreed another and so Jonah 3. 4. where Jonah in positive words asserts it to be the revealed Will of God Yet 40 days and Niniveh shall be destroyed yet it was the secret Purpose Decree or Will of God that it should not Yea and so far as the Prophet could conceive and he had already manifested his Counsel he purposed to overthrow the City but yet the Lord had indeed determined to preserve it Philad I called for a proof that God hath a Secret Will and a Revealed Will contradictory to each other relating to one and the same Persons and Things and instead of that you bring two Texts that make nothing to the purpose that of Jonah concerning Niniveh sheweth that God's Will whereof one part revealed and preached by Jonah was that Niniveh should be destroyed within 40 days if the Inhabitants thereof repented not but remained in an obdurate and impenitent State and the other part of God's Will which was kept secret and concealed was this that it should not be destroyed if it did repent within that time so that that part of God's Will that was revealed and the other part kept secret and concealed was one and the same and tho delivered in positive words yet there was a Condition implied in them tho not expressed That Niniveh was not destroyed at that set time which the Lord threatned they should plainly shews that his Purposes and Threatnings were conditional Upon supposition of their Impenitence he threatned to destroy them but when they repented he promised to preserve them this you know by what Jonah did when he withdrew to see what God would do with the City and by what the King and People did they understood the whole Will of God concerning them tho but part thereof was vocally revealed therefore I heartily advise you to detest that vile School-distinction of a Secret and Revealed Will in God opposite one to the other so that by his Revealed Will he would have none to perish but professes his unfeigned desire after the Salvation of those that perish and seems to be burdened in himself and lament over those that stubbornly run in destructive courses as Deut. 5. 29. Psal 81. 13 14. Isa 48. 7. 65. 2. Jer. 44. 4 5. Mat. 23. 37. and yet by his Secret Will he hath no desire after their Salvation Nay he 's so far from willing or desiring their Salvation that he hath grounded and settled Intentions to destroy them for ever By his Revealed Will he would have all Men to repent and believe in his Son and by his Secret Will the contrary Now if there be any Secret Will in God whereby he willeth the destruction of any at the same time that he willeth the Salvation of all these two Wills must needs contradict one another and of two contrarys if one be good the other is bad and so in God's Secret and Revealed Will if one be good the other is bad But surely if God injoyns Repentance Faith and Obedience unto all Men with Promises upon their complying with his Will they shall be saved as Mark 16. 16. Acts 3. 19. John 20. 21. then he doth not will with a Secret Will the condemnation of any for 't is clear that his Revealed Will runs that he would have all men every where to repent c. and certainly his Revealed Will must needs be one with his Secret Will or else we shall represent the great God of Truth as false as Man for if God's Word which is his Revealed Will be no Interpretation of his mind and meaning then it is not true for that speech that is no signification of the Mind is a lie God's love to Mankind page 96. this is properly lying saith
are sanctified an unholy thing and make all the Precepts of the Gospel uncertain whether they be the Will of God or not or whether Christ when he prayed to his Father for his People or for Sinners prayed as a Mediator or as Man only yea give footing to that Opinion which begins to evidence it self too much in many even denying the personal Union of God and Man in Jesus Christ in whom the fulness of the Godhead dwells bodily Col. 2. 9. which did influence and give a value and worth to all things done for us by the Manhood and therefore his Righteousness and his Blood was called the Righteousness and Blood of God Acts 20. 28. 1 John 3. 16. Rom. 10. 3. Christ as he was God-Man and our Mediator what he did upon this account in the Flesh he did in the Spirit also Now in this place where Christ bewailed Jerusalem's state with tears either they flowed from true inward compassion or they did not if the first then Christ in the Flesh and in the Spirit willed one and the same thing and had no distinct Will for Jerusalem's Salvation as Man different from his Will as God but if the second then his tears were only feigned and his bewailing nothing but dissimulation which is a capital Sin to affirm And tho the Lord was resolved to bring Jerusalem to desolation by delivering them into the hands of their Enemies yet as you say and say truly it was an effect of their Sins the neglect of the Day of their Visitation mocking his Messengers and stoning them that were sent to her to have drawn her from the evil of her ways and for crucifying the Lord of Life thereby filling up the measure of her Iniquity So tho the Lord brought her to desolation yet Punishment is rather his refuge than his choice and his defence against Sin than the hurt of his Creatures and the Sinner with his own hands most cruelly pulleth down punishment upon his own head for the evil of Sin and the evil of Suffering are Twins or rather Sin gives birth and being to the other God never inflicted the least punishment on any merely as Men but as workers of Evil as continuing sinful and disobedient So that it was Jerusalem's actual Sins and her refusing to be healed that brought her to ruin and not any irresistible Decree of the Almighty for you may as well deny the Being of a God as entertain a belief that he takes pleasure in the death and destruction of his Creatures His Nature is perfect Goodness and he is a stranger to Cruelty and all the expressions of Love and Good-will in Christ to poor Sinners are such that they neither admit nor are consistent with fraud or falshood so that yet you have not told me where the Attribute of God merely takes place upon those that God is resolved against all means possible to be used to punish by his Decree as you use to say But before I leave this let me ask you one Question more which is this Ought not or do not all Men stand ingaged to love God Philet To love God yea who should they love if they do not love God Philad Ay but I ask you for what Reason Mar. There may be many Reasons given the receiving the good things of this Life may engage all Men to love God Philad Yea but you will not own that God gives the good things of this Life with any good intention to the greatest number but rather gives them to them to heighten their misery doth God intend any good to the Souls of such by what he gives Mar. No yet are they to be accountable for the abuse of them Philad But you hold that God did decree they should abuse them accordingly and for that end were they given to them that so the abuse of them might heighten their misery this is but like the Proverb Give a Man Roastmeat and beat him with the Spit Can any Man become grateful or be tied in the Bonds of Love and Gratitude to such a Man that should feast him for a while yet after condemn him to Death and Destruction Philet The Apostle saith 1 John 4. 19. We love him because he first loved us but this is meant of the Elect only Philad Why should you go about to confine the Lor'd Mercy which is altogether Infinite and as incomprehensible as his Divine Essence why should you thus contract the Divine Goodness whose Mercies are not only exalted above our Conceptions but also above and over all his Works Therefore do not presume to measure the Lord 's Mercys by your narrow conceit nor labour to make it run into a lesser Channel than the Lord intended But God's great Love to all Men in giving his Son to die for them is the ground and cause of their Love to God again True love must first spring from the knowledg of God's Love to them neither can I think that any Men in the World will ever heartily and cordially love God unless they believe that God Almighty had designs of Love to them yea so far loved them as to send his Son to die for them otherwise instead of loving and living to God it would tend to a most horrid and desperate alienation of the Hearts of poor Creatures from their dear and ever-blessed Creator For how is it possible that the poor Creature should devest himself of those Delights and Pleasures of this Life and intirely love and delight himself in God and his blessed Will if he knew or had strong grounds of fear that before he made him or without respect to his Sins or unworthy carriage in the least he so far hated him as to resolve against all Mediation whatsoever to cast him out of his sight and to doom him to suffer the Vengeance of Eternal Fire You may preach up God's Sovereignty pronounce Justice and Judgment as some have done till they have brought Despair and Hell into the Souls of many and beget more Fear than Love make God feared as a Tyrant but 't is the making known Christ's meek Condescension Long-suffering and the superexcellent Amiableness of free Love and tender Mercy that soonest and most effectually works in us Repentance of our Sins and inclines us to love him that first loved us Wither's Paraphrase upon the Lord's Prayer Who is able to perswade Men by Arguments or move them by Threatnings to love God whose love to them in particular is doubtful Do you think it can or ever will be a motive for Persons to love God to tell them That before all Worlds or before they were born or there were any possibility of offending him in any manner it was decreed that the greatest number of Adam's Off-spring should be eternally reprobated and damned And tho he had provided means whereby Man might have been saved and that the worth and value was so great that it was sufficient for the Redemption of thousands of Worlds yet then it was
of Faith Answers That the same Gospel that offers Christ operates Faith the same Spirit that inspired the Penmen of the Holy Scriptures doth co-operate and it operates in the Ministry of the Gospel upon those that wait upon it Mr. Perkins on Rev. 2. 13. saith That the preaching of the Gospel hath in it a Divine Power to beget Souls to the Lord. Philet I believe those that the Gospel is preached to if they unfeignedly repent of their Sins believe on him shall without all question be saved by and through the Death of Christ for the reason why Men are condemned is because they believe not on the only begotten Son of God Philad Well said Philetus now you have ruin'd your self upon these two Points which you have laboured this day to avoid The first is this That Christ died for those that miss Salvation through unbelief for if the Lord by the Gospel promised Salvation to all Men without exception in case they do believe on Christ which you cannot deny it roundly follows that Christ must needs have purchased it for them by his Blood for there is no Salvation without Remission of Sins nor no Remission without shedding of Blood neither could their believing procure any other Salvation to them but only that which was fully purchased for them by the Blood of Christ there being no Salvation for any Man upon any Terms or Conditions whatsoever unless Christ hath purchased it for them by his Blood Therefore unless you do suppose that Christ shed his Blood for all you cannot say with any truth that if they believe they shall be saved Can you imagine that their believing or not believing should any ways alter the Lord's Intentions concerning them in the Death of Christ or cause them to be bought with his Blood which were not bought before or whether doth the Lord in the Gospel assure Persons of such a Salvation which was never so much as intended to be purchased for them This would be to represent the Lord extreamly unlike himself which none dare affirm that have any regard to the Honour and Glory of God The second is this That those that perish through unbelief were through Grace put in a possibility of believing and imbracing Christ as tendered to them God will not condemn Souls for not believing that which was impossible for them to believe If unbelief be the condemning Sin and that Men are condemned for not believing it follows against all contradiction that all Men at one time or another are put into such a capacity as that thro the Grace of God they may be saved Thus have you in a few words pull'd down with your own hands the main building which you have in your Discourse this day laboured to make stand But is this your usual way to do and undo Have you not told us that God gave not his Son to die for all and yet he offers his Grace to all and that there is no Universal Redemption and yet Christ is universally tendered to all that God decreed not only the Suffering but the Sins of the Reprobates and yet their destruction is of themselves that Men miss Salvation because of unbelief yet God never gave them a power to believe nor a Christ to believe in and that Men must strive to lay hold upon Christ and come up to the terms upon which Salvation is tendred and promised and yet have no power to do it but are as passive as Stones or dead Men How can you make these things stand together Philet I said at the first that I feared you were one of those that held the vile Opinion of Free-will Philad This term of Free-will is made use of by almost every captious Person and cast as Dung in the Face of many of the Lord's People and that by many that know not what they mean by it I have often heard Free-will mentioned by the Tongues and in the Books of those of your way yet I never to my knowledg found it defined but surely as you hold it or suppose others to hold it it is some vile Opinions indeed would any else call it cursed Free-will and those that they think hold it damned Free-willers or in their Prayers desire that God would confound all that hold it Mar. Why do you not pray that God would bring down Mystery Babylon and all others her Adherents and this is one of her Master-pieces c. 't is the Great Dagon Philad Well but now I find Free-will as much owned by those of your way as by any that I know amongst us for the Assembly of Divines in their Confession of Faith Chap. 9. expresly say God hath indued the Will of Man with that natural Liberty that it is neither forced nor by any absolute necessity of Nature determined to do good or evil And Mr. Baxter in his Preface to his Call to the Vnconverted speaks thus For Free-will Origen is condemned by Epiphanius for saying Man had lost the Image of God this Image is twofold 1st Natural that is Reason and Free-will 2ly Qualitative that is our Holiness this is lost and by Grace restored And he farther saith That Austin as well as Pelagius Calvin as well as the Arminians the Dominicans as well as the Jesuits all generally maintain that Man hath Free-will Yea he tells us no Man of Brains can deny that Man hath a Will naturally free and is a self-determining Principle tho not freed from evil dispositions Can you name any amongst us that hold more than these your Brethren hold For what can these mean by it less than this that the Will of Man now after the fall of Adam in natural Actions is as free as ever it was for tho by the Fall of Adam all the Faculties of the Soul viz. Reason Judgment Affections Understanding Will Power and Freedom to act are greatly bruised much weakned and dulled yet not one of them is wholly lost and indeed the Soul would be a nothing if it be denied the use of its Faculties for as the Body without the Spirit is dead and remains a lifeless Bulk even so is the Soul if it doth not exert it self in the various actings and operations of its Power and indeed if we have not a Free-will in a sufficient Measure to do or leave undone chuse or refuse then were our Faculties inferiour to those of Beasts who do chuse or leave such means of preservation as are set before them and as the Will of Man in natural Actions is free even so it is as really free in spiritual when it is made so by the Spirit and Grace of God or else how should we run the ways of God's Commandments if we have not the liberty of our Souls and will to do it Therefore when you curse and damn Free-will and Free-willers at that rate as you do you must surely mean something else than what your Friends mean or what I mentioned last pray tell me what it is Mar. Why you say
which Christ and Lazarus were raised from the Dead was irresistible neither were they able to oppose it but those ways which the Lord usually takes to bring Mens Wills into a compliance with his own is not so irresistible that they cannot any ways oppose it How very frequently have Persons grieved the Spirit of God and resisted the Holy Ghost and prefer'd a darling Sin and a beloved Corruption before the Grace of God but you seem to hold that no Sinner is converted without such an Omnipotent Power put forth for his conversion as was wrought in Christ c. and therefore cannot be resisted but this is more than you can prove either in your own conversion or any others Tho you sometimes tell us how passive Persons are in Conversion yet at other times you make Faith and Repentance two parts of Regeneration and how Persons can be said to have either and yet be passive neither I nor you know Besides when those of your way give us an account of the Conversion of others they tell us of the frequent resisting the Lord's striving with them and the great wrestlings which have been between Faith and Reason Flesh and Spirit and the many Prayers Tears and Agonys Persons have gon through before the new Birth hath been compleated Pray do but consider what Mr. Keach hath written in his Travels of true Godliness The visits that God gave to all sorts of People Professors and Profane the pains he took with them to have them open the Doors to him and yet could find none that would entertain him and the bitter lamentations Godliness makes thereupon that he may beg as it were upon his bare Knees to be entertained by them but in vain for they will not mind him nor take him in but put him off from day to day till Death seize them Surely if Persons were as dead and as unable to act in Conversion as Lazarus that had lain four days dead in the Grave here was no reason for Godliness to complain but rather others might complain because Godliness did not break open the Doors and rouse these dead Souls out of the sleep of Sin and cause them by an unresistible Power to receive him And at last when they fully embraced him yet he was forced to be laborious as you may see pag. 158 159. Yea Godliness puts him upon endeavouring to obtain the Blessing by his diligence and pains in God's ways it being the only way to be rich in God and plainly tells him that unless he will stir and labour to open the Door he shall never come into his House and so shows him how teachable the Moral of that Fable in Aesop is of a Man that was fallen into a Ditch and lying there almost drowned who calling to Jupiter to help him out received this Answer Endeavour to get out and Jupiter will help thee Surely this could not be said to those that are altogether passive in Conversion or to such as could not but obey And indeed too often the Lord knows do poor frail Men make a repulse against the Operation of God's Spirit and Grace upon their Hearts and very seldom if ever doth the Lord work so omnipotently or forcibly that Men cannot but believe and obey him For he that saith God worketh in us to chuse irresistibly doth in effect say he so works in us that we cannot chuse but chuse which is nonsense and therefore consider these things First He that is wrought upon by God to believe obey or persevere irresistibly cannot possibly do other wise Secondly He that cannot possibly do otherwise than he doth cannot possibly chuse but do what he doth Thirdly He that cannot chuse but do what he doth doth clearly do it whether he will or no. Philet The Apostle tells us that God works in us to will and to do of his good pleasure Phil. 2. 12 13. The Lord works upon the hearts of his Children by such over-ruling and prevailing force that they cannot withstand it if they would Philad It is God that works not only to do but to will and to do by his prevâ—…ing Grace he worketh in them to will and by his assisting Grace to do yet by neither so irresistibly but that they must work out their Salvation with fear and trembling too Grace doth not destroy but strengthen our Will Is our choice or liberty lost because it is guided and inabled to do that which is good If I can do all things through him that strengthens me then can I through him chuse the good or refuse the evil which would not be chose if it was whether I would or no. Philet Pray what say you to Paul was not he converted by a most miraculous Operation and a mighty Power Philad I know and believe that Paul's Conversion was effected in a very extraordinary way and as miraculous as any we hear or read of Christ himself appearing from Heaven and speaking by audible Voice to him neither do I deny but God may still if he please and no question doth in some special Cases and in order to some great and special End open the Hand of his Bounty much wider to some in the vouchsafement of the Means of Grace and Salvation than ordinarily he doth to others Yet to say all Conversion is so miraculous or that God doth as much for the Conversion of every one that 's converted as he did for Paul is not true neither can you prove that Paul's Conversion was perfected by the Vision for 't is plain he was directed to Ananias to be farther instructed in those things that did relate to the Gospel and what he was farther to do Yea and if you will compare this with Acts 26. 19. as powerful as this Call was yet it did not saith Grotius take away the power of resisting God will have voluntary Obedience not forced Isa 50. 5. Psal 95. 7. Heb. 3. 7 8 15. 4. 7. Mar. Whether you really intend it or no yet you bring all to this That Man meriteth his own Salvation and he may thank himself if he be saved because it 's his own goodness and towardliness in improving that Universal Graee which others did not improve so they are not saved by mere Grace nor from any special discriminating Grace from the Father Son and Holy Ghost to them and whereas God hath ordered it so that no Flesh should glory in his presence you lay a Foundation for pride and self-conceit and make poor provision for admiring free special discriminating Grace here and to Eternity Philad I do not find this term discriminating Grace in the Scripture Grace properly signifies Love and Kindness Favour and friendly Acceptance and as for free-Love free-Kindness free-Favour and free-Acceptance there is nothing more required but that it be not deserved for that is undoubtedly free that is undeserved so that what we do or can do doth not in the least oblige the Lord to bestow any Love or Favour upon us which
I have already shewed it cannot still that of the Apostle will stand good Ephes 2. 8. By Grace you are saved through Faith and that not of your selves it is the Gift of God So that all boasting is excluded since we cannot change our Hearts cannot repent of our Sins or believe on him by virtue of our own natural Abilities but by the aid and assistance of Divine Grace Man's Perfection and Felicity is derived from God and we live daily in a necessary dependance upon him for his Grace and the Aid of his Holy Spirit to repair our Strength and assist our Faculties and every way to enable us to perform those Duties which are due to so Sovereign a Lord and as it becometh Creatures to do Yet still we are to remember that his assisting Grace doth not destroy our Endeavours for as we can do nothing without God so he will do nothing for us without our selves and as God works in us to will and to do c. so Persons are to work out their own Salvation with fear and trembling and not think to sit still and take their ease and live in a carnal state without improving those means that God hath vouchsafed them to repent and believe till the Lord by an irresistible Power pluck them out of their Sins This we are not to expect neither are we to thank our selves if we be saved but God's free Love and Bounty is to be acknowledged the sole cause of our Salvation neither can it be any diminution to Divine Goodness to say that unless Man doth concur with the first Cause the End cannot be obtained since Faith Repentance and Obedience to the Lord is made a condition with reference to Eternal Life Suppose a Prince should see one that has riotously mispent his Portion in great want and he out of his free Bounty should profer him a Sum of Money sufficient to supply all his Wants discharge all his Debts free him from all fear of Arrestments and enrich him for ever in this World provided he will but come to him and put forth his hand to receive this Treasure he shall have it if he will not he will give it to those that will Will any say that this was no free act of Love because it had such Conditions propounded with it or if any one should refuse so kind an Offer tho upon such terms as these and will not come to him nor put forth his hand to receive any of his Gold or Silver but will rather pine away or rot in a Goal unless he will force it into his Pocket whether he will or no would not all People look upon this as the greatest folly and imprudence in the World What be loaded with Bags of Gold and Silver and discharged from all Wants and Fears and yet not so much as reach out the hand to receive them Well suppose he should put forth his hand to receive this Treasure is it the act of receiving the Money or the Money received that enricheth him surely tho his putting forth his hand was a means yet it was the Mony received that inriched him and he had cause for ever to be thankful to him and admire his Love and Bounty and free Gift here would be no cause for such a poor Wretch to pride up himself as if by his own power and towardliness he had merited such Grace and Favour but rather the contrary so in spirituals O here will be enough for Souls to admire and that to Eternity the signal Acts of God's free Grace and Favour in that he has provided such effectual Means and afforded them so powerful Aids and Assistances in order to make them holy and to bring their Wills into a compliance with his own And I desire you to consider whether it will not be an aggravation to the damned to think that they might have been happy as well as others but that they wilfully refused Grace and Mercy when it was tendered to them 1. Now if Conversion is to be wrought only by the irresistible and unfrustrable Power of Grace why is it said that some resisted the Holy Ghost and made void the Counsel of God against themselves and would not hear come nor obey his Voice but closed their Ears and hardned their Hearts as may be seen Acts 7. 51. Luke 7. 30. Acts 13. 46. 7. 39. Prov. 1. 24 25. Zac. 7. 11 12 13. Jer. 5. 7. and of others that they heard the word readily and received it chearfully and obeyed it from the heart as Acts 2. 41. 13. 47. 6. 7. 17. 11. Rom. 6. 17. Now how can any of these be attributed to those who either can no ways believe and obey it being wholly above their power or could not but believe and obey by the force of Grace no ways resistible 2. But again if God by a strong hand of irresistible Grace works conversion in all then all the Exhortations Threatnings and Promises made unto Sinners in order to their repentance and believing are made in vain yea bootless and ridiculous The Divine Decree doth not impose any real and fatal necessity on any in respect of their eternal safety or ruin for the Voice of Reason must needs proclaim those Laws and Constitutions unjust which plainly forbid and prohibit that which a Man cannot possibly assume or avoid nor can no more be changed by our most earnest endeavours than we can stay the course of the Heavens or fly in the Air. Mr. Hockins on God's Decree p. 122. 3. If we have not a sufficiency of Means vouchsafed by the Lord to repent believe and obey him then doth the Lord deal more severely with Men under the Covenant of Grace than under the Covenant of Works now I say I suppose you will not deny but that the Lord endued Adam with sufficient Means for the persormance of that Covenant and so to obtain the Reward of that Covenant but now if the Lord should under the Covenant of Grace require of Persons a ready submission to his holy commands and yet pass a Decree that they should not move one step forward in the way of Obedience and wholly deny his Grace to them doth he not deal more severely with most of Adams off-spring under the Covenant of Grace by Christ than under the Covenant of Works in Adam requiring only possible things in the first and impossible things in the latter And saith Hockins on God's Decree pag. 189. If a Master should be so severe to require as much work of his Servant when his hands are fast tied as when he is at liberty this would argue an unheard of Cruelty joyned with the greatest Severity 4. Nay if Persons be not enabled by Grace to repent and believe the Gospel they are thereby laid under an absolute necessity of despising it thereby making themselves more the Children of Wrath and Death than before Heb. 2. 3. How shall we escape if we neglect so great Salvation clearly implying that
real they had but seemingly escaped the pollutions of the World they were at best but Hypocrites how then could the latter end of such be worse than their beginning Nay what if they had put off their guise of Religion wherewith they deceive the World and appeared like themselves in their swinish nature could that make their end worse than before seeing Hypocrites are like to meet with the greatest condemnation Mat. 24. 51. But how those can be said to be Hypocrites that have clean escaped the Pollution of the World thro the knowledg of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ I cannot see unless Hypocrisy be no Pollution and if it be then were they no Hypocrites or else they had not clean escaped the pollution of the World nor from them that live in Error ver 18. which he affirms But we must hasten to put an end to this days Discourse Now consider Heb. 6. 6. where the Author speaks of the impossibility of renewing some by repentance in case they fall away which plainly supposeth there is or may be such a thing incident to Man and it is very evident from this Scripture that the Author admonisheth those whom he judged true and sound Believers for he here speaketh not of ordinary and common but of special and excellent Grace and yet these are under a possibility of falling away for ever for doth not the Author give them to understand that notwithstanding they were most eminent Saints and Believers yet through carelesness and carnal Security they might make Shipwrack of their Souls and perish Philet What are these Characters applicable to none but true Believers Philad If there be any Persons under Heaven that may be judged true Believers they are such as these mentioned and if you can shew me any that had all these Gifts and yet were destitute of true Grace Philet I cannot give you a particular Instance of all these meeting together in one Person that was not a Believer But can you prove that these Qualifications are applicable to none but true Believers Philad If they be applicable to any others give me an Instance where for I know of none from whence we have cause to believe that true Believers may possibly apostatize so far as to be under an impossibility of being renewed again by Repentance and so perish Again in 1 Cor. 9. 27. you may see that Holy Paul after his Conversion to Christ took great care and pains to beat down his Body c. which was needless in him if he were under no possibility of falling Again that true Believers are under a possibility of falling appears a truth because the Lord by his Holy Spirit in his Prophets and Apostles doth by many Exhortations Promises and Threatnings labour to prevent apostatizing in them and to cause them to persevere But if your Doctrine be true that there is an utter impossibility of a final falling away what savour of Wisdom or Sense is there in admonishing Persons against that which there is no possibility of ever coming to pass but that God will by an irresistible hand of Grace and Power preserve them in a state of Grace and Favour how desperately careless or wicked soever they shall be yea tho they fall into ten thousand abominable Sins yet they shall be brought to repentance before they die doth not this make all Exhortations Threatnings and Promises unnecessary For if Men be assured they shall never perish pray tell me why they should labour to prevent their perishing Moderat But you must understand that the Means and the End are coupled together and that God that hath appointed the End hath appointed the Means to attain the End and God makes use of our own Endeavours as the Means to attain Heaven and prevent our Apostacy as in the case of Noah tho he was assured and that from God himself that he should not perish by the Water yet he was to make the Ark here you see that tho he knew God would save him yet he used the means or else he knew he should not be saved he did not say to himself God hath bound himself by Covenant to save me now if I make not the Ark his Word is his Word and he will stand to it tho I be false yet he will be true tho I do not as I should yet he will do as he hath promised and therefore I 'll spare my labour but you see Noah is of another mind he will not sever God's Word from the Means he judged that if he made not the Ark he was to look for no deliverance this was his Divinity So in Hezekiah's Case tho God had promised to add fifteen years to his Life yet he was to use the means God had appointed to sustain Life as Meat Drink Rest c. yea tho the Lord had absolutely promised that he would add fifteen years to his Life yet there was to be a Plaister of Figs applied to his Sore in order to his recovery So likewise in that of Paul Acts 27. 22. compared with 31. tho the Lord had promised there should be no loss of any Man's Life yet afterwards Paul said to the Centurion and the Souldiers Except these to wit the Mariners by whose skill the Ship should be brought nearer to Land for their safety abide in the Ship ye cannot be safe So tho Christ had assured his Disciples that they should never perish and none should pluck them out of his Father's Hands yet he bid them watch and pray lest they fall into temptation Philad I perceive you look upon these Promises tho absolutely express'd yet conditionally intended so that none of all these should perish provided they should obey wholesom Advice and use all Means that in them lay for their preservation now do you believe this is true in Spirituals Moderat Yea doubtless Philad I say so too and dare be bold to assure from the Word and Promise of that God that cannot lie that not one true Believer shall ever perish who faithfully uses the means God hath prescribed in order to his standing And if Philetus be of this mind we shall soon agree What say you Philetus Philet I believe as God hath required his Children to use the means of Perseverance so he hath decreed they shall all of them use it accordingly and that he will so overpower them by his Spirit that it shall be beyond all possibility of miscarrying Philad Pray produce such a Decree if you can Philet In Jer 31. 33 to 37. you have an absolute Promise of Perseverance made by the Lord to the Church of God Philad You cannot prove by this Text that none can fall away this Promise was made to the dispersed Nation of the Jews whom the Lord in his anger had driven into all Countrys and therefore had a respect as well to the Unbelievers as true Believers amongst them Compare Ezek. 11. 17 18. where is a Promise of the same import yet in vers 21.
those that walk after their detestable things may bring ruin upon themselves Philet John 10. 29. there you have the Omnipotent God ingaging himself to preserve the Saints or sheep of Christ from either total or final Apostacy Philad John 10. 27 28. My Sheep hear my Voice and I know them and they follow me and I give unto them Eternal Life and they shall never perish c. Now I believe that those that are the Sheep of Christ which hearing his Voice follow him perseveringly to the end he will give unto them Eternal Life there 's no danger of perishing so long as they remain the Sheep of Christ Philet This cavil is cut off in the next Words neither shall any pluck them out of my hands therefore neither Sin the Devil the World nor Flesh can by any Temptation draw the Sheep of Christ from their Faith Philad How who told you so I give them Eterual Life neither shall may be able to pluck them out of Christ's hands when once they are landed upon the Celestial Canaan they may then say Now Sin Satan and wicked World do your worst But if you would have it respect the Saints as to this Life yet here is not the least shew of the great power of God ingaged for the compelling or necessitating of them to continue such to the end of their days and that they cannot cease from following him or any promise made to those that for the present hear his Voice and follow him yet if they shall quit the Faith and draw back from him they shall never perish how sinful and wicked soever they be Neither is it to be conceived as if Sin Wickedness Looseness and Profaneness could not unsaint Persons or pluck them from under the Lord's protection or separate them from the Love of God but that Sin will separate between Men and their God is evident from Isa 49. 2. But this rather shews That those that continue following of Christ shall be safe under the protection and safeguard of the Lord so as no Creature whatsoever shall be able to separate them from God Martha As God the Father looks for nothing from Man to partake of Christ so it is not Sin nor Evil that can debar any true Believer from a part in Christ It is a desperate thing in any so much as to serve a Writ of Damnation upon a Believer for in doing so they injure the Lord Jesus overthrowing the fulness of his Grace Philad That God hath made an assurance to any of injoying his Love and Favour but upon condition of their Love and Loyalty to him I suppose the Scripture is wholly silent nay such assurance is not honourable for God to make nor meet for a Creature to expect or desire for who can imagine that an infinitely wise and righteous God should ever ingage himself to any People to be their God unless they be also willing to be his People to love and live to him or what ingenuous Soul that truly loves God doth desire to be pardoned and protected and delivered from eternal Misery and injoy all the Blessings of his Child and yet pay nothing of that love and reverence that is due to him for such Mercys And whereas you speak as if it were not Sin and Evil that can make him that was once a Believer less beloved of God the Lord having once loved him he cannot cease to love him this I have answered before But such Expressions as these cannot be short of Blasphemy to put such a Saying as this in the Mouth of the Lord Tho thou addest Drunkenness to Thirst tho thou committest Whoredom Adultery Incest Murder and every ways cast my Commandments behind thy back yet shalt thou be precious in my Eyes and my heart shall be towards thee in the greatest Love and dearest Affection for ever And tho this may seem harsh yet your opinion leads directly to such horrid conceits of God For if Christ be not given Covenant-wise but the Promise of Life is made absolutely without any condition or proviso at all of Persons Love and Loyalty to him then it follows that the obstinate and resolved Sinners the loosest and most debauched Persons may as well lay claim to the Promise of Eternal Life as the most faithful and virtuous in the World and if you say 't is not Absolute it follows that it is Conditional for the wit of Man cannot shew a Medium between these two Philet We do not say that no Believers can fall into Sin fall they may fearfully but not totally and finally Philad Who ever said that the Elect such that believe and persevere to the end ever fell away finally I know none that say any such thing the Question is Whether the Grace of God may not be so resisted Isa 5. 4. Acts 7. 51. Mat. 23. 37. as to cause the Lord to take away his Holy Spirit from them and to suffer them to fall into a state of Perdition I would know why our Saviour hath told us that from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he seemeth to have if it be not for this reason because he hath lavished out his Talent and hath rejected the Power of doing well which was offered him surely there is no better arguing than that Man can resist the Grace of God because he doth and 't is a wonder that such as you are are not confuted by your own experience that Grace is resistible unless you will deny your self to be of the number of the Elect. Surely David had Grace to have done better than he did in the matter of Vriah but he resisted it and lay in his Sin a long time which shews that the precious Vessels of Election may fall away from Grace whether we take it for a gracious Life or for the Love and Favour of God for had he been taken away in his Sin without Repentance he might have perished Philet Ay but David being an elected Person tho he did fall into Sin God almighty decreed that David should repent and return neither could he die until he had repented Philad By these words you seem to hold that had David died before he had repented he had perished which he could not have done if he had not fallen from Grace Mar. The Apostle John 1 John 3. 9. saith Whosoever is born of God cannot commit Sin for his Seed remaineth in him and he cannot sin because he is born of God he that cannot sin cannot fall either totally or finally Philad What cannot sin at all what then saith the same Apostle That if we say we have no Sin we deceive our selves Chap. 1. 8. And so James 3. 2. In many things we offend all we Apostles that are born of God which are regenerate and have the Seed of God abiding in us as much as any yet in many things all of us offend Mar. I do not say commit no act of sin but they sin not as wicked Men
faithful to him The question is of the continuance of our Love to him John 8. 31. If ye continue in my Word c. John 15. 9 10. As the Father hath loved me so have I loved you continue ye in my Love And if ye keep my Commandments ye shall abide in my Love Now if there were no danger of losing their Love to Christ there were no need for Christ to exhort them to keep his Commands in order to their abiding in his Love But this place shews that Christ having loved his own he loved them to the end of his days 't is not said of their days but all the time of his abode in the World here 's nothing of the final perseverance of the Saints how desperately wicked soever they be but what if the Lord should so set his Love upon these his beloved Disciples that were given him out of the World by his Father that maugre all the Frailties of the Flesh and the Temptations of the World and the Devil yet none of them should be lost but that they should be carried on through all Difficulties to the fruition of Eternal Glory Doth it prove that because some shall never fall that therefore no true Believer can fall away Pray consider the Parable of the Prodigal Son the lost Groat the lost Sheep doth it not shew that a true Believer may be lost and being lost may be found Moderat I believe God hath elected a certain number to Salvation and those that are given out of the World to Christ he will not fail to keep them to himself but will by interposing Grace so preserve them that they shall never perish But the others that Christ died for upon condition of their repentance believing and persevering therein to the end I dare not say but some of these may believe for a time and that with a true Faith believe and yet fall away so as to perish these times have afforded many sad and shaking Examples of this kind and I am not strictly certain of my perseverance and so not fully or strictly certain of my own Salvation Philet O what an uncomfortable Doctrine is this of falling from Grace Philad This Doctrine doth not destroy all Christian Comfort but a Life of much Christian Comfort may be had out of it seeing it is the unchangeable Purpose of God to give Life and Salvation to all those that shall persevere in Faith and Holiness to the end and that if they will but quit themselves like Men abstain from all foolish and hurtful Lusts and not wilfully stab their own Souls nor pull Misery upon their own Heads they shall be happy And what tho true Believers may be under a possibility of perishing yet seeing God hath through his bounty vouchsafed unto them so rich and such full proportion of Means thereby to prevent their perishing and to preserve them from Apostacy so that they need not apostatize or perish except they themselves please why should it abate any of their Comforts or Hopes of Salvation because under a possibility of perishing Men may possibly fall into the Fire and be burnt or into the Water and be drowned from the top of Houses and be dashed in pieces yet no Man lives ever a whit the more uncomfortable because under a possibility of suffering these Evils because they know God hath given them Reason and Understanding to preserve them from these things The Apostle Paul knew that he was under a possibility of being a Cast-away 1 Cor. 9. 27. yet how chearfully and at what an excellent rate of comfort did he live I am perswaded saith he Rom. 8. 38 39. that neither death nor life nor things present nor things to come c. The assurance he had that upon a diligent use of the means which God of his Grace had vouchsafed to him he should prevent his being a Castaway made him live at that height of confidence and courage which he did What can no one injoy comfortable hopes of Heaven unless they have a full and perfect assurance of the continuance of the Love of God to them how loosely and profanely soever they live and that if they commit all manner of Sin and Wickedness affront Heaven defy the Almighty laugh Jesus and his Gospel to scorn yet they run no hazard of losing their Souls Indeed such a Doctrine as this and such is the Doctrine of Absolute and Unconditional Perseverance contributes to the peace and comfort of the carnal part in Men and indulgeth to them a liberty of Sin but no Child of God that hath received of that Spirit whereby it can cry Abba Father either wisheth or desires Heaven or Salvation but in the way of holiness and upon that condition which the Lord Christ injoyned it John 15. 10. Nor is it possible that any Man should have comfortable hopes of Heaven or any assurance of being saved unless he hath through Grace discharged those Duties to which the Blessing and Privileges are therein promised This is the Foundation whereupon through Christ to build our Hopes and Comforts and not that God loves us for we know not what reason and that we cannot possibly sin our selves out of his Love but he will infallibly bring us to Heaven no but saith the Apostle 1 John 2. 3 5. Chap. 3. 18 19 20 24. Chap. 5. 18. hereby we know and are assured that we are in God and that he loves us But how comes Persons to this why if we love him and keep his commandments which if we do we shall never fall 2 Pet. 1. 10. But I must beg your excuse at this time I cannot stay only I desire you to consider this one thing concerning falling from true Grace If we consider Faith and Regeneration in themselves they may be lost because nothing in it self is unchangeable but God it cannot be said of any but God that he cannot lie and if so then all Men may lie and that Lie may be our ruin for ought we know Rev. 21. 27. And tho I do not doubt but that there is a State of Grace attainable in this Life from which Persons by the Grace of God shall never fall yet I would not have you affirm of your selves or any others that you cannot fall how wicked soever you live but rather remember we all stand but by Faith and therefore ought not to be high-minded but fear working out our Salvation with fear and trembling not lest God should forsake us but lest we should forsake God FINIS
before wholly to be ascribed to the Grace of God in Christ as the principal and primary Cause Now as to Faith and Repentance being the Gift of God this is a truth God is said to give Faith and Repentance yea to intend the Salvation of all Men when he vouchsafeth a sufficiency of means Now Faith is taken many ways sometimes and very frequently 't is taken for the Gospel Acts 6. 7. Gal. 1. 23. So it is the Gift of God and he is said to give Faith and Repentance when he gives the Gospel which is the Word of Faith and so Faith is the Gift of God and when any Soul is by the goodness of God led to repentance God is said to give Repentance Also God gives the power or ability to repent and believe or else Man could do neither yet doth not God's Grace destroy our Duty tho God gives not only Grace necessary but also sufficient for yielding Faith and Obedience yet the Act or Duty of believing is not God's Work but Man's Heb. 11. Rom. 10. 17. James 3. 2. And the Person that is regenerate must be so far active in the Work that the Work it self may be as truly and properly ascribed unto Man and called his as it is ascribed to God and called his Gift now this you must believe unless you have so far forsaken your Reason as to say that Christ acts the Creature 's Actions and so Jesus Christ repents and Jesus Christ believes and Man doth nothing But surely we stand bound to believe repent and obey the Lord if we expect Salvation these are our own acts and 't is impossible they should be the acts of Christ for he that is said to act any action is said to do it Now if when we are exhorted to do these Duties Christ should do them for us while we sit still what sense must we make of Scripture must Jesus Christ break off his Sins by Repentance and amend his evil ways and doings or must Christ believe in Christ or walk in the steps of Christ And from hence it will infallibly follow that Persons shall be damned because God did not only make them Believers by an irresistible Power but also act their Work too Saith Paul Rom. 8. If ye through the Spirit not the Spirit without you nor ye without the Spirit intimating that Man must be an Agent in the Work it must be his own act and therefore he is not wholly passive neither have we ground to believe God will work these in such a way as shall be impossible to be frustrated Philet But if God works Conversion in a resistible way still Free-Grace loseth the triumph and Free will takes the Crown but when God works he works irresistibly Men cannot resist his Will if he works none can hinder it Philad I believe that God hath and still works and none can be able to hinder such are the Works of Creation and Redemption c. When Man was fallen none could hinder the Lord from setting his Love upon him nor hinder him from shewing Mercy to him in sending his only Son to die for them nor hinder the planting of his Will and Light in their Hearts convincing them of Sin Nor could the Jews of old or any in our days hinder or prevent God from rising early and sending his Prophets and Ministers to call Persons to Repentance nor hinder him from administring Grace and Mercy to them nor is it in the power of Man to frustrate God in raising up Persons from the dead in the Resurrection and setting the Godly with Christ in Glory and all the Rejecters of his Grace and Love in endless Misery Neither do I deny but God hath and may still if he please convert some by an irresistible Power we must not care to limit the Holy One of Israel in any of his ways yet it is not God's usual way of working to force Persons against their Wills to be Holy and to accept of Life but he is pressing by his Holy Spirit and by his Word and Ministers which is the ordinary way that the Lord takes to beget Faith c. and therefore Gospel-Ministers are said 2 Cor. 6. 1. to be workers together with God that is Ministers do co-operate with God in order to one and the same effect not that Ministers in their pressing and preaching should so work with God as to be able to do as much as God himself doth in perswading Men but rather they work after one and the same way Ministers in their preaching incline and move the Heart of Men to accept of Christ and this he doth perswadingly without forcing or necessitating their Wills to such or such Election this is God's usual way of working in the dispensation of his Divine Will Philet But I tell you 't is effected by the irresistible act of free Grace Persons are altogether passive in the work of Conversion yea have no more power to stir than Lazarus had when he had lain four days in the Grave Persons are dead in Sins and Trespasses and what less than the almighty Power of God can cause them to live a spiritual Life I do not know You ought not to believe there is any annext Power in the act of Conversion doth not the Apostle Ephes 1. 19 20. speak of the exceeding greatness of the Lord's Power wrought in them that believe according to his mighty Power which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead Philad As for your urging Christ and Lazarus being both dead to prove Persons as unable to act in Conversion it is impertinent for tho the Lord in raising up Christ did the work wholly of himself by his mighty Power neither was Lazarus able to act any thing in the Grave towards restoring his Life yet in the Work of conversion the Lord comes to a Creature which he hath by free Grace furnished with Abilities to do what he requires of him And Lazarus after he heard the Voice of the Lord and received Life was active and came forth and so when Persons hear the Voice of the Lord and are thereby raised from a death in Sin or a deadly custom of Sinning to live soberly justly and godly this is said to be a raising from the Dead and a new Creation begotten again and by Faith and Repentance making new Creatures tho the Lord bestoweth Grace sufficient for the yielding to the Voice of the Lord when he calleth them by the Gospel yet through the alone proper fault of Man it becomes unfruitful for the Lord doth not usually come to Persons in such a mighty Whirlwind as 1 Kings 19. 11. to force their consent and carry them headlong to their duty and irresistibly compel them to embrace eternal Happiness and shew such a Miracle of his mighty Power as he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead or upon Lazarus when he had lain four days dead in the Grave Now it is true the Power by